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Just when you thought there could be no more social networks left to invent, Google joins the social network party again. The reason is they say again is that roughly the same time last year, they made an announcement about a little project that was to become Google Wave
Then there was Google SideWiki which was another social functionality provided by the search giant.

So my question is where does Google Buzz fit into the equation? And the answer I have come to is that I am not too sure.

When Google Wave was announced, I had many of my non-tech friends come up to me and ask plenty of questions about the news. They wanted to know whether or not they needed Facebook, Skype, et al anymore because Google was going to promote this fantastic collaboration tool for both business and pleasure.

Last night however, not one of those people was asking me about Google Buzz.

Now I am not saying it is a guaranteed fail on Google’s part – it’s not really comparing apples with apples. But one of my associates on Twitter (@DDsD) made a very good point:

@BenTortora Not entirely,Google Buzz is like a non-real-time wave.. but that’s what people are used to, wave is too complicated for most.

And I completely agree with that statement. That is the exact spot where the application needs to sit. However, many people are active on one of the following networks:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Foursquare

And from our research and questioning of social network users, not many want another aggregator or somewhere else to connect with people. With Facebook and MySpace about to launch full-blown email services, taking with them their massive existing user base – it seems Google is on the defensive trying to make their email client social.

Another reason why I am not completely sold on the service is the same reason why those aggregators never really perform as well as the networks independently – people are connecting with different groups of people on different networks. I know myself personally, I do not add anyone I have not met face-to-face on my Facebook; I don’t have any personal connections – only business – on LinkedIn; on Twitter I connect and share with both friends, strangers, industry leaders and bloggers that I follow. Aggregating all those different status updates and links would add more noise to those networks - the last thing any user wants from a service.

I guess it all boils down to the fact that I am not really a power user of Gmail to begin with, and the announcement hasn’t really swayed me to become one. And if Google wants it to be Wave for the masses, they are going to need to bump their awareness campaign past forcing people to check it out when they sign into their Gmail.

Foursquare is being the dubbed ‘the biggest thing to hit social media in 2010′ and is set to rock our world just like Twitter did in 2009 (safe enough to say it’s the biggest thing to hit social media in 2010 because we are yet to see out our first month but things still look very promising). It grew in popularity in San Francisco, spread across the US and has just been launched worldwide.

Foursquare is a location-based social networking medium. It is a mobile application which allows you to “check in” every time you visit a destination via your phones GPS capabilities. Locations can be anywhere from shops, bars, cafes and restaurants being the most popular, through to workplaces, banks and parks. Once you’ve checked into a location, Foursquare will then broadcast your whereabouts to your friends and recommend places to go and things to do nearby. The Foursquare website promotes that this is a great way to meet up with nearby friends and learn about their favourite spots and the new places they discover.

Foursquare.com describes itself as an “urban mix tape”, making lists of your favourite things to do and share them with your friends. Foursquare keeps a record of your actions, creates To-Do lists and suggests new things to check out. It shares other user’s experiences in particular locations. For example, if you checked into a restaurant it would unlock a tip suggesting an item from the menu. The game of it is that as you cruise along checking into locations and adding tips for others, you earn points and unlock badges. If you become the frequent Foursquare visitor to a location then you become ‘the Mayor’ until someone else overtakes you and steals your title. Mayors are eligible for freebies such as coffee, ice-cream etc depending on what that particular location may offer through Foursquare.

Example of Foursquare badges

The business applications of this new service are immediately clear:

1.       Customer Intel - invaluable information on how often customers frequent your business, knowing what they are saving about your products and services

2.       Word of mouth Advertising - your own customers recommending your products and services to others!? Wow! Doesn’t get any better than that!

3.       Direct Marketing - want to reward your loyal customers? How about offering a discount to a new customer to inspire them to try a menu item or buy a product?

4.       Potential to Rank in Search Engines - as Foursquare builds up authority with the search engines then their recommendations and listings are likely to rank. So if your business has some rave reviews and comments then you will potentially list in local search results

Why this will work? People love to let other people know what they are doing and how cool it is. People love to earn badges and would all love to be the ‘Mayor’ of something. My recommendations? Get ready for Foursquare to become a big thing. If you’re prepared to jump on this wave then you are sure to have a kanuna of a ride and save yourself being dumped in the shallows.

One of the great ironies of the whole Web 2.0 “social” connection fad is that although we are supposed to be connecting with one another on a  more personal level, yet we still rely on the big corporations to do so. Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Digg and hosting companies all dictate whether we can broadcast our message, however Opera is trying to buck the trend.

Opera Unite is a new concept in the Opera browser where you can use your computer as a small server, allowing other people to stream your music, photos and have a small, private chat room. Opera provides the interface (which can be edited with CSS to make it look unique) so you just have to generate your URL, allow your friends to connect, and share away.

Opera hasn’t been afraid of including additional modules in the past (often with cutting edge features such as a torrent client), but this is a new way of looking at how we use the internet. It means that you can, with very little knowledge share information with anyone you want. Don’t like Picasa’s interface? Host your own photos. Want to share your latest mashup? Allow your friends to stream from your computer.

As with any technology, there are teething problems, however there is an API available so budding developers can expand on the platform. The potential is there for a whole new way of getting in contact with people, but without the restrictions placed on you by “the man”.

One potential downside of this is artist’s rights and the privacy of users, which is in the news at the moment with the Pirate Bay and RAIA cases going on overseas. If anyone can share their music without a larger organisation, it makes policing much tougher. What about if the users wanted to start a private child pornography ring? Again, the freedom of information must be balanced with making sure that there is some security in the system.

Social networking web sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Windows Live Spaces are services provided for individual internet users to meet and connect with others to share photos, videos and personal messages online.

As these social networking sites grow in popularity, the risks of using them for the individual do too. All internet users are aware of spammers, hackers, people viruses, criminals and identity frauds and as these networking sites grow in natural traffic it is inevitable these unwanted factors do too. It is important internet users remember this and remain aware and cautious of other unethical internet users to make sure they remain safe when communicating online.

Below are tips to help protect one when using social networks:

-Don’t allow social networking services to scan your e-mail address book. This will avoid giving away e-mail addresses of your friends. When joining a new social networking site you can be provided with the option to enter your email address and password to find out whom else is on the network. The sight may use this information to send e-mail message to everyone in your contact list.

-Be selective about who you accept as friends on social networking sites. Try and make sure you know the person you are adding. Identity thieves might create fake profiles in order to get information from you. This is known as social engineering. Being cautions and aware of this can help prevent unwanted situations.

-Be aware of the social networking sites you sign up too. Make sure you understand the privacy policy. Make sure that there are strong security settings or secure payment details where you enter in credit card details and personal information.

-Don’t always trust those messages you receive are from who it really says it’s from. There are hackers and spammers on sites to be aware of, frauds can break into others sites and pretend to be someone else. If you feel the message is fraudulent choose another way of contacting your friend to advise them. If you feel you are in danger, always be sure to contact an authority like the police.
Use caution when clicking links that you receive from friend’s message on social web sites just like you would in links you receive via emails. Treat them with caution as they can be viruses or unauthorised people trying to get in contact.

-Assume what you write on a social networking site is permanent. Even if you can delete your account, anyone on the internet can easily print information or save it to a computer.

-Use your personal bookmarks or type the social networking site directly into your browser. Clicking a link to your site through e-mails or another web-site you may be entering your account name and password into a fake site where your personal information can be hacked or stolen.

-Be wary about installing extras on your site, social networking sites have additional functions that allow you to download third-party applications that let you do more with your personal pages. Criminals can use these applications to steal personal information. To download third party applications use the same action as you would when downloading any other program and file of the net.

Raise your hand if your guilty of Googling the name of someone you just met?

Whether you admit it or not, I’m sure you have! This brings me to my next question - what does your online profile say about you?

With the popularity of social media websites, there arent many of us out there without an online profile on at least one of the various websites such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter.

The great aspect of having an online profile is of course the sense of community this brings. Re-connecting with old friends, finding new friends and general networking are just a few of the benefits that come with being part of an online community.

But lets think about the other side - can there be a negative impact of having an online profile (think of that photo posted on your Facebook profile of you at 4am on a Saturday morning!)

What if a potential employer googled you?

I could even go even further - do you have a personal blog? What do your posts say about you? Now I’m not suggesting that you completely sensor your “online life” but it’s important to remember that your online profile may be the first impression that someone has of you - or even alter an existing perception someone has. The internet has a very long memory, so you should always put your best “online face” forward.

Does the following scenario sound familiar to you?
You are in the middle of another 50 hour week, your boss breathing down your neck and you have more deadlines looming than you can remember! You decide to take a quick break by logging into your Facebook account to have a look at the latest photos you have been tagged in.

You inconspicuously turn your computer screen out of your bosses view and head over to the Facebook website.
Your happy mood quickly deteriorates as you realise you can’t access your account. You then remember the awful truth – your workplace has banned your access to Facebook!

Well like 55% of Australian employees the above scenario is all too familiar. A recent study has determined that Australian bosses are among the toughest in the world when it comes to denying access to social networking websites for their employees. This is further to the recent news that Australians work the longest hours in the developed world.

So, what’s an Aussie workaholic (who has been banned from using Facebook at work) to do?
Well perhaps now is the perfect time to make a move to Italy - where only 6% of employers have banned their employees access to social network websites.

Facebook,MySpace,Twitter,YouTube… it seems that social media is taking over the internet world.
Analystis believe that by 2013, 52% of internet users will be active particpants in the social media network.

“Social network usage is not tapering off—it is growing,” Ms. Williamson says. “Not only are more consumers joining social networks, but their level of involvement is deepening.”

So how can businesses capitalise on the social media network? This question comes back to businesses understanding their target market. If businesses intend to use the social media platform - the first question they must figure out is what really resonates with their customers.
What social media marketing tool will entice your customer enough to the point where they buy your product or service?

This is the challenge facing marketers in 2009. In a weak economy marketing plans must produce measurable results. This environment provides businesses the perfect opportunity to ‘think outside the square’ and differentiate themselves from their competitors.

The biggest challenge for businesses who are looking to add social media tools to their marketing platforms - is how to convert these online communities into profts for their business!

Watch this space for some upcoming tips on how to leverage the power of social media marketing for your business….

As reported on InformationWeek, the worldwide social network for professionals, LinkedIn has on Monday launched a mobile-ready version of its website for use by its member base of more than 19 million. The release is in Beta and allows members with a web-enabled mobile device to perform the sites common functions which include searching profiles with photos and bios, making introductions, inviting others to join a network, and receiving updates from the site and a user’s groups or colleagues on the site.

Professionals worldwide use LinkedIn to create trusted networks with colleagues and other professionals, and to share expertise, business contacts, and job opportunities. LinkedIn is backed by several investors, such as Sequoia Capital, Greylock, the European Founders Fund, and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Amongst a swarm of articles regarding the privacy issues of social networking sites and new advertising models, 17 people, as well as a Canadian company that owns a portfolio of adult sites are being sued by Facebook for attempting to mine user-details off members profiles on the popular social networking site. The claim is that servers under the control of the Canadian company were used to send in excess of 200,000 automated requests to Facebook’s servers back in June.  It is not clear whether the attempts to gain users’ details were successful.

Facebook has requested a jury trial and is seeking damages, as well as barring the defendants from accessing its computer systems in the future.

InfoWorld reported on Monday that social networking site for professionals, LinkedIn, has announced that it will open its doors for developers to build applications for the site to help make it more interactive. Along with this update they have also released a beta version of a redesigned home page, as well as signing a deal with BusinessWeek magazine to provide a content feed that will show news stories on LinkedIn users’ profiles that are related to their companies, as well as highlight other stories their colleagues are reading (more…)